


One more thing

by AshTheRat



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Falling Down (Undertale), Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, What if we made it worse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:35:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24947743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshTheRat/pseuds/AshTheRat
Summary: A what-if scenario inspired by the amazing Bonerpuns, who single-handedly keeps my interest in this fandom alive.This is my first time posting to ao3, so if there's something you think I should tag, please let me know.
Relationships: Papyrus/Sans (Undertale), Sans/Sans (Undertale)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 81





	One more thing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nilchance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nilchance/gifts).
  * Inspired by [in the dark](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22351717) by [nilchance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nilchance/pseuds/nilchance). 



Red rips the void open and yanks Sans into the light.

Sans' falls onto Red's chest, knees buckling, and only Red's arms around his ribcage keep him from hitting the floor. Edge's strong hands on Red's shoulders steady him as he stumbles a little.  
  
Red's first feelings are of immense relief. Sans is here, he's back and he's alive -- but he's so fucking cold. His icy fingers grip Red's arms with a desperation Red's never seen in Sans before. Red feels the cold even through his shirt, the unnatural chill seeping through the thin fabric into Red's bones like ice water.   
  
Red stares at Sans' grayish, chalky face and empty sockets. Sans stares right back, though Red isn't sure if Sans actually sees him. For a moment it's like they're both back in the void, world frozen and greyed out around them, one long, endless second.  
  
"Sans-" Red starts.  
  
Sans' grip on Red's shirt relaxes, and his sockets fall shut, head lolling back on his shoulders. Red struggles to hold him upright, grin frozen on his face and eyelights shrinking to pinpricks.   
  
He doesn't need to check Sans to know.  
  
_He's is so fucking cold._  
  
Edge moves around them both like a silent, unwavering shadow, kneeling down to gently pry Sans out of Red's deathgrip. Red resists mechanically at first, his body suddenly feeling distant and sluggish, unresponsive.   
  
There must be some kind of mistake. They got Sans away from Gaster. They saved Sans.   
  
_He can't be fallen._  
  
"Call Papyrus," Edge orders in that tone he always used back in their own universe, the cold one that leaves no emotion in the open to be exploited by their enemies. Edge is in control, even when Red's stupid mind is tying itself in knots trying to deny what's right in front of it.  
  
The odd, dreamlike numbness leaves Red with painful swiftness, replaced by a burning heat in the pit of his stomach. The LV thunders in his head in rhythm with his soul, and suddenly there is a hole the size of his fist in the drywall.  
  
Edge's hand on his shoulder halts him. It's not a gentle touch meant to comfort, but a bruising grip meant to ground and guide. The universe could be crumbling to dust around them, and Red would always respond to that touch.  
  
"Can you call Papyrus, or do I have to do it for you?"  
  
Red looks over his shoulder. Sans is silent and still on the floor, wrapped lovingly into a blanket Edge pulled from the couch. Red tastes bile in the back of his throat.  
How are they meant to explain to Papyrus that they failed?   
  
"No. I'll call him."  
  
\-----  
  
Edge stands regal and serious like a knight awaiting his execution, Sans in his arms still wrapped in a blanket, cold and silent and Fallen.   
  
Red can't fucking bear to look at Papyrus, lingering slightly behind Edge with his face turned away.   
  
Papyrus' expression is frozen into some kind of anguished attempt at a smile, his hands painfully wrung together as if to stop them from shaking. He looks at Sans with blank sockets, jaw working as he struggles to find words, any words at all, that might make this better. He seems to shudder, phalanges creaking as he wrings his hands and looks back up at Edge again.  
  
"Could I-" he starts, his voice softer than Red has ever heard before, wavering just on the edge of breaking. Edge immediately moves to shift Sans into Papyrus' arms instead, and the tall skeleton cradles his brother gently, so gently, as if fearing that he might crumble to dust right then and there.  
  
Papyrus says nothing. Instead he releases a long, shaky sigh and presses his forehead lovingly against Sans', closing his sockets and letting tears spill over his cheekbones. Edge and Red both look away. This is private, and neither of them deserve to see it. They have no apologies to offer.  
  
There's a long, long moment of silence before Edge speaks up again, his voice gentle and almost too soft to hear.  
  
"There is one more thing we could try."


End file.
